I admit it, math is not my favorite subject. But, I do love literature and combining the two makes math fun for me. If I am having a good time then I feel like I pass that good attitude on to my kids (now grandkids 🙂 ). Oh, throw in some cookies, and now everyone is a bit more inclined to be a part of the math lesson. lol Here are two books that I have found to be not only educational, but also colorful and relatable.

The Crayola Book by Jodie Shepherd obviously has crayons that are the focus, but also fun real life pictures to accompany the colors that have been selected. This has great details about sorting and gives examples for children to see. I like that is gives the definition on the first page. “Sorting is grouping similar objects together. There are lots of ways to sort! You can sort by color, shape, size, and more!”

Sorting by Henry Pluckrose is a series called Math Counts. This book is for young students who are just beginning to learn about sorting. There are two more books in this particular series called Counting and Numbers. They also have books that are suggested to use before books in this series called: Pattern, Shape, and Size. Is your child beyond all of these concepts? That’s awesome! You can read these instead: Time, Length, Weight, and Capacity.

So, why not read the books and then gather some of your own things from around the house to do a sorting activity? You can also graph items to extend the activity. For example: You sorted types of fruit: apples, pears, strawberries, and oranges. Graph how many of each you have. Take a poll and see what is each family member’s favorite fruit. Graph the result. You can extend this again by having your student write a paragraph about the findings.

Have a great week! ~Lisa~

I am seeing pumpkins for sale in the store so why not buy a couple and use them to teach?

Math-

Estimation– How much do you think your pumpkin weighs? How many seeds in one large handful would you estimate there to be? If you feel like counting all of them, 🙂 then how many do you think there are in the inside of the pumpkin? How close were you in estimating?

Science- Study the life cycle of a pumpkin. Seed->Seedling-> Plant-> Flowers->Pumpkin You can have your child draw a picture of each stage by looking at pictures of the internet or watching a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB-dfi_0TsQ

There are lots of printables for sequencing the growth of the plant. I found this free printable that you can use for younger and older students. https://montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2013/10/free-printable-montessori-life-cycle-pumpkin.html

Health- Did you know that pumpkin seeds are healthy for you? Here is a recipe for you that your son/daughter can help you with:

Ingredients

• ¾ cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon paprika, optional
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177ºC).
• Wash pumpkin seeds in a colander to remove the pulp and fibers. Thoroughly dry with a towel.
• In a small bowl combine pumpkin seeds, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, paprika (if using), and black pepper.
• Lightly grease a sheet pan with olive oil. Evenly spread the seasoned pumpkin seeds on the sheet pan.
• Bake until the seeds are toasted and crunchy, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes for even toasting, and check for doneness with each stir by tasting a seed for crunchiness.
• Transfer the roasted pumpkin seeds to a bowl to cool down.

Have a great week! ~Lisa~